Love Is Never Forbidden
by Kulkum
Summary: Leonardo faces what may be his greatest challenge yet. Teaching his greatest foe that the past need not always direct the future. In the heat of constant battle, can sworn enemies find reason to look beyond the mask and the shell? Some errors corrected.


_So, I am branching out, sue me. :-p Anyone following me, don't worry. I will get back to Always be There and Death and Destruction._

_I've always loved the TMNT. I was in love with the show in the 80s, was in love with the movies in the 90s, and the movie in '07._

_Recently, I decided that I still love the green heroes on the half shell. In part thanks to boredom, and in part thanks to Mikell. (.net/u/1845915/Mikell) Well... I take that back. A LOT thanks to Mikell._

_It is the string of movies, up to the last from 07, that I base this fic on. Some minor changes might be made, but that's what it means to be a fan fiction author. Otherwise, I would just be copying the script and stories from those that already exist. Where is the fun in that?_

_I like Karai. She's a great character, and I am basing her character totally off of the appearance from the 2007 movie. Which... Wasn't much back story, so it leaves me free to play. Which helps, because this is a romance._

_Warning! This story is rated a whopping _**M ** _and will contain the following: Intimacy between a human and a no longer teenage but still mutant ninja turtle, violence against various ninjas and all around bad people, swearing, angst, hopelessness, brother against brother, lover against lover, and all of the fun stuff that fits between. Some funny moments as well, which can't really be avoided where Mikey is concerned. Oh, and a happy ending. I am a sucker for happy endings._

_I am also a sucker for intense opening chapters. So let the games begin.  
_

_Enjoy!_

_For those not up on your Jananeese honorifics:_

_**Kensei:** literally translates into sword saint. A title of great respect for someone with legendary skill in swordsmanship.  
_

* * *

Blood. He had seen enough of it in his life to satisfy even the most blood hungry warmonger or the most ruthless assassin. Sometimes it reminded him that as different as they were from humans, they were the same in just as many ways. The blood was always red. Rain gradually diluted it, caused it to melt into the gravel of the rooftop in tiny crimson rivers that would eventually reach the gutters. And from there, spill into the streets and drain into the sewers. Funny, no matter how much changed, even the smallest part of the ended up in the sewers.

"Mikey!"

Michelangelo was the one who bled tonight. It was as much the crack of wood on a head that was not quite as hard as it was the short cry of pain that had drawn the attention of his three brothers. Leonardo had turned just in time to watch his brother hit his knees, nunchaku falling from limp hands before he crashed into the rooftop face first. Fury boiled for a moment as he watched his brother's blood form jagged rivulets across the back of his head, a rage that was not easily pushed aside even as Raph suddenly appeared at his fallen brothers side. The Foot who had landed the blow was removed from the fight. Likely any fight for a long time as the strongest of the four brothers slammed the hilt of his sai into the hooded face with enough force that Leo was forced to ignore the crunch that came in time with the impact.

"Leo, we gotta go!" came the growl from the red masked turtle, pausing in his words long enough to swing a round house kick into the jaw of an overly eager assailant before he swept down and slipped his arm under Michelangelo's arm to haul him to his feet as Donatello came up beside him to stand guard. "Move your shell!"

_He's exhausted, _Leo realized as he kept the next wave at bay with the tips of his katanas. _He's the strongest, and even he is feeling the pressure now. _

It was impossible to miss the way Raphael almost swayed when lifting their brother from the roof, a sign of weakness that he never would have shown unless he had no other choice. The idea that this show of weakness was an opening caused two Foot Ninjas dearly as they came well within reach of Donatello's bo, ending their participation in the nights attack as a swift series of motions had them toppling into the other black clad figures behind them. But the signs were there regardless. The fight had only started moments before, but it was not this fight that had weakened them. It was all of them. Months worth of short, precise engagements on an almost nightly basis was slowly crippling the team. It was evident in Raph's failing strength, Mikey's allowing such a powerful blow to slip past his guard, and Don's lack of a smart comment about said blow to the head.

And for Leonardo, it was the rage. Slipping past the calm he always carried with him, bleeding into his inner peace until it bathed him in the need to stay and fight. He did not want to run away, not again. He wanted to make all of them pay. Every last member of the Foot, for every night that they had managed to wound his brothers, for every night that he was sure they would continue to do so. It took every second of his past training to prevent him from running his blades into the chest of the black clad figures that rushed forward. The training, and the thought that under those masks could be misunderstood, down on their luck teens simply looking for a better life than the street. This thought was enough to allow the flat of his blade to strike them rather than the edge, his foot connecting with a padded chest and sending the last of the three on a short flight to the top of the roof. He had killed before. But he would not kill because he was angry. He _could _not let himself kill while he was angry.

"They're on the streets," Donny informed him, a statement that was followed by a string of curses from Raphael. They all knew that while Mikey was out, they would not be able to use the rooftops to escape. They were cornered, and Leonardo knew that his brothers were aware of this too when they joined at his sides. The idea of leaving their fallen brother behind had never even crossed their minds. They stood together, or fell together. Every difference that rose up between them, ever battle they fought against each other as they grew never found a place when they were fighting for one another.

And it was the wall of three dozen ninja that hesitated. Even as out numbered as they were, the turtles had proven time and time again that there was never an easy battle with them. Had proven time and time again that for every one of them that fell, at least a dozen Foot could expect to follow. So when the sharp voice cut through the silence of the standoff, it seemed to send a ripple of relief through the gathering of black clad figures even as they drew back with their weapons still raised at the ready.

"What's going on, Leo?" growled Raph from his side. All of them held their ready stance, weapons drawn and facing their enemy without flinching.

Leonardo struggled to keep his arms from trembling. The strain of too many nights in this kind of battle had left his strength lacking, but he could not show it. "I don't know. Something stopped them, but..."

His words trailed off when the ninja facing them started to fold back, creating a path towards the source of the voice that had halted their advance. Eyes narrowed, Leonardo watched as the armored figure moved towards them, an intricately designed and no doubt deadly katana clasped in her hand.

_Her?_

"Karai," he muttered more to himself than anyone around him. Instantly the three thick fingers on either hand tightened on his swords, applying such force that his knuckled popped and the hilts almost groaned in protest.

Fury started to rise again but he pressed it back with an effort as she moved towards him, hazel eyes locked on his as she stopped at half distance. Far enough to retreat if the three of them attacked her, but close enough to show that she had no fear of the one she intended to face. The fact that her eyes were locked on him so directly, so intensely made it clear that she was there for him and no one else. The fact that she had not raised her sword did not put him at ease. "Leonardo."

It should not have caused a shiver to race down his spine when she said his name. Not the sort of sensation caused by the rain, or the fact that he may have been facing death. He didn't know exactly what to make of it, but dismissed it as exhaustion and trepidation at facing the present leader of the Foot Clan. He held her gaze steadily, hearing the shifting motions of Raphael beside him as he lowered his swords and slowly stepped forward. "What do you want from us, Karai? Are you behind this?"

"I am the leader of The Foot," came her calm reply, his eyes following his as they came closer together. "They do nothing without my consent."

He wasn't sure why that bothered him as much as it did. He knew almost nothing about her, true. But he knew that she had a sense of honor that the former master of the Foot Clan had not shared. Even now, at the edges of his vision he could see the black clad figures moving cautiously to retrieve their fallen comrades. When they had last encountered each other, he had seen her carry the burden of one of her injured on her own shoulders rather than leave him behind. Something that the Shredder would not have troubled himself with. It had instantly, irrevocably, and painfully endeared him to her. It had reminded him of what he had done for his own brothers countless times in the past, and it made it difficult to accept that this honorable warrior was in league with a clan of assassins and thieves.

A soft groan from behind them had Donatello instantly rushing to Mikey's side as the youngest brother stirred. "Ow! Careful, Donny. Dude, what hit me?"

Leonardo fought to keep his eyes on the warrior in front of him despite his desire to turn and help his brother. "What do you want from us?" he demanded as he took another step closer to her. The Foot behind her shuffled uneasily, but remained in place. Leonardo ignored them. "Why haven't you finished what you started?"

"Oh great idea, Leo," came Raphael's growl, a shift of leather again palm telling that his grip had tightened on his sais. "Don't give 'er any ideas or nothin'."

Both of them managed to ignore the comment, keeping their gazes level on each other. Hazel eyes studying amber, testing. Waiting. Expecting and curious suddenly as she broke the personal struggle between them by speaking. "Do you want the attacks on you and your brother's to stop?"

The sudden nature of the question caused him to blink once slowly, the death grip on his kantas loosening just slightly before he lowered them to his sides. "What do you want?"

"I wish to fight you. Only you." He expected her to say something along the lines of his life, or a demand that they leave the city forever. She was certainly at an advantage in terms of any sort of negotiations, but he had not expected what she had actually said. She seemed to take his silence as consideration rather than the shock it actually was, because she followed with her reasoning. "You are the leader of your clan. The strongest. There is more to strength than what is found within the body," she added after hearing Raphael's disbelieving snort, though her gaze did not shift from Leonard's. "I have wanted to cross my blade with yours since the moment I learned of your existence. Your devotion to your clan, your bravery, your strength and skill. I would test them, as well as your resolve. We will fight to the death."

And here he had been considering the fact that she sounded... Respectful when speaking of him. The things she said had almost caused a blush to darken his green skin, until the warm feeling that he could not explain was banished by the words 'To the death'.

"What would be gained from killing each other?" he demanded, the idea of killing the woman standing in front of him so abhorrent that a rush of anger overcame his common sense. He stalked towards her, causing both his brothers and the wall of ninja's behind Karai to tense and brandish their weapons warningly. She, however, did not move to raise her sword as he came to stand face to face with her. The fact that she was exactly his height only made it easier for him to glare at her. Her eyes were suddenly restless, moving over his face as she otherwise stood in silence. Why did she suddenly seem so uneasy? It was the disquiet in her that calmed his anger in an instant, but did not stop him from speaking his mind. "You will leave my brothers alone. At the very least engage in honorable combat, not these swarms that you've been sending our way. Swear this on your honor, and I will fight you."

The uneasy motion of her eyes over his face seemed to calm as he spoke, though she seemed ready to take a step back at any moment. He had a feeling that if she did, the reaction from the Foot behind her would be swift. She held her ground instead, the flawless mouth drawn into a line as she consider him. He did not mistake the sudden change in her attitude as fear. It was as if she had not expected to be this close to him. Or maybe that was his own thoughts playing tricks on him. She had pasterns of lined gold in her eyes, something that would haunt his thoughts and memories that night. For now, his only concern was the safety of his family. He was prepared to fight her then and there, no matter how tired their numerous encounters had left him. He could not have expected what happened next, nor could he say that it in any way aided in his desire to fight her to the death.

"You have my word, on my honor. We will meet here again in forty-eight hours," Karai stated as she now took a step away from him. Her eyes no longer held the unease that had clouded them before. Now she seemed pleased, and excited. "Until then, rest and prepare yourself, Leonardo."

One slender, gloved hand was raised above her head, and a sharp motion given for the ninja behind her to withdraw. Without hesitation they began to fade into the night, down the side of the building and over the rooftops until she alone stood with the four turtles. That seemed to be the cue Raphael needed to release a battle cry, muscles that had been tense for a chance to strike release like a spring that sent him towards the lone figure standing near his brother. A brother that quickly side stepped to stand between the red masked ninja and Kirai. Leonardo watched as his brother slid to a halt, just barely stopping himself from stumbling forward at the sudden change in momentum before glare was met with glare. "What the shell, Leo? Here's our chance!"

"No, Raph," he said firmly, not budging an inch even as he watched his brother move his hands up and down restlessly, the tri-pointed weapons clutched in aggravation. "I've given my word and she had given hers. She is not without honor."

He didn't raise his own weapons, keeping to the promise made two years before never to fight his brother again. A growl was given, before the larger brother lowered his sais with a sharp jerk of his hands. "She's Foot, Leo. She doesn't..."

"They didn't go after April." The simple statement was enough to make Raphael pause in his rant, which was exactly what Leo had wanted. Having his shell headed, hot tempered brother insult her before the deal could be made was not something he was interested in dealing with. "They've known about April since the night we stopped the Stone Generals, but they haven't used her against us. We can argue about this later, Raph!" he cut in sharply, seeing his brother open his mouth to reply. "Right now we need to get Mikey home."

"Gah! Damn it," Raphael grumbled as he jammed his sais into his belt, turning and stalking towards Don and Mike. His continued grumbles were ignored, though that did not stop him from throwing glares towards both his brother and the woman watching the exchange.

Turning back towards Karai, he sheathed his katanas across his back in a swift motion before he folded his hands in front of him and lowered himself into a grateful bow. "If I must, then I will meet you here in forty-eight hours. I will come alone."

His gaze never left her after that as she sheathed her own sword. It seemed that she understood that he would not allow an attack without provocation for one as she placed her hands against her sides and lowered herself to return his bow. "I expected nothing less. Savor and cherish these last moments with your family." They rose at the same moment, and once again there eyes locked. Both were moving away, Leonardo towards his brothers and Karai towards the shadows, but neither one seemed able to look away. It wasn't until she spoke again, her voice seeming softer even though he could have sworn it still held an iron edge to it, that she was able to break eye contact and vanish. "Until next we meet, _kensei_."

Her parting words, or more precisely the final title she had bestowed on him, could not have left him more stunned. He stood there for a long moment, staring into the shadows after her. It wasn't until Raphael all but yelled his name directly into his ear that he managed to gather enough of his mind to glance back at his brother. Frowning in concern at the tracks of blood his could see as Donatello looked over Mikey's, he stepped back towards them. "Let's go home."

* * *

And... Chapter one is complete. There is a long way to go. Be patient with me, as I have a job and a life and all that. I will do my best to bring you weekly updates.

R&R! Comments make the fingers type faster!


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